Hairopoulos: Dynamic Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel still learning as he makes his way around SEC

2/19

Bruce Newman/AP

Mississippi Coach Hugh Freeze, center, is surrounded by fans as he leads the team in the Grove in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, before an NCAA college football game against Texas. (AP Photo/Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman) MAGS OUT NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT

COLLEGE STATION — For all that Texas A&M redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel has picked up quickly this season, one aspect does not compute.

He does not slide. He often does not get out of bounds before absorbing — or giving out — hits when running the football.

“It’s how he plays the game,” said Aggies offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, a former quarterback himself, with a smile and a touch of helplessness. “He’ll learn. He hasn’t got hit that hard yet.”

It’s true. Four games into the season, not much has touched “Johnny Football,” whose legend grows weekly.

Amid breaking school and SEC records, the 19-year-old from Kerrville Tivy has drawn 13,000-plus followers on Twitter and stirred Aggie adoration.

All the while, the overriding question remains — will he be able to keep it up? On Saturday, A&M takes its first SEC road trip to Ole Miss. Since opening the season with a 20-17 loss to now-No. 10 Florida, the Aggies have soared in their rapid-paced offense. But their three wins, all blowouts, have come against teams with a combined zero Football Bowl Subdivision victories.

“He’s nowhere near where he needs to be yet, but you can’t argue with his results,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “His challenge will be, as people really get a look at him and diagnose what he’s able to do, to still be successful.”

Sumlin has not made Manziel or any other freshmen available to the media, though he’s said the day will come eventually.

Manziel is the only freshman starting at quarterback in the SEC. Manziel and Alabama’s AJ McCarron are the only SEC quarterbacks with more than 53 passing attempts to not have thrown an interception.

Manziel (87-of-124 passing) ranks fourth in passing yards per game (273.5) and fifth in rushing (91.5). He’s first in the league in total offense (365.0 ypg), and his 70.2 percent completion rate is second behind South Carolina junior Connor Shaw.

Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze praised Manziel’s knack for extending plays and — somehow, some way — finding ways to make positive plays out of them.

“The word you have to use to describe him for his success at his size is heart,” said Freeze, whose team ranks 12th in the SEC in pass defense. “He plays every down with that.”

Manziel is listed at 6-1, 200 pounds, though roster data is often exaggerated.

Manziel’s coaches have urged him to keep working on his pocket presence and going though progressions before running — and they have seen improvement.

Manziel pump-faked before finding senior receiver Ryan Swope on an 80-yard connection last week against Arkansas, a play Kingbury felt comfortable calling for the first time.

Sumlin said younger quarterbacks and receivers can succeed sooner in college because of the emergence of 7-on-7 tournaments and early admittance to school. Now Manziel gets his chance to sustain what he’s started.

“As a young guy, you have to handle success,” Sumlin said. “The thing he’s doing right now is he wants to be really, really good. We’ve had this conversation; he wants to develop into a complete quarterback.”

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.